The Elite Keys
by Poooni
Summary: The "Elite Keys" were just myths that Lucy had heard about from her mother. They are known as the most powerful keys in the Celestial Spirit world. When trouble rises in the guild, Lucy must find the keys, and use them to save the world and everything she loves. How will she ever find them and save the guild? (Thanks to my editor Dawning Wolf for helping me write this story!)
1. Chapter 1

The Elite Keys

Chapter 1

(Past)

Lucy's mother had always told her stories about the mythical "Elite Keys". Keys that were thought so powerful that they could challenge the Celestial Spirit King, and end up winning. Lucy never believed in them because she knew that they were just fairy tales. She continued to listen to her mother.

"You see Lucy, the keys were so powerful that the other keys got jealous and made them feel horrible. They decided to hide in the shadows, and help people without them noticing. They soon become known as the "Assassin Sisters". As time went on, they were forgotten and disappeared from history. But they are still there…..we now know them as, miracles.", Layla said.

(Present)

As Lucy lay in bed, she stroked her necklace that her mother gave her. On her necklace was a gem. Her mother had told her that the necklace was very important. But just as Lucy asked why, her mother drew her last breath. She thought back to that day where her mother had told her all about the "Elite Keys". Her mother had given her the necklace the day she told the story and died. She always thought that they were a myth but now she wasn't so sure. After all, she had thought that summoning the spirit king was impossible but she found out it was possible. She had found out the hard way. She had to sacrifice Aquarius in order to save all her friends from Tartarus. But she couldn't let those memories hold her back anymore. She had to continue moving forward and continue living for her friends and definitely for Aquarius who had sacrificed herself in order to save Lucy.

Lucy had always wondered why her mom gave her the necklace. Not that she didn't want it but it had always intrigued Lucy. The gem in the middle was a ruby red and sent an slight eerie glow a night. She loved the necklace and the fact that her mother loved it too, gave her a feeling that her mother was with her no matter where. The thought of her mother, the person who taught her magic, sent her thoughts to the guild. They had been having some issues lately. Since they screwed up on their previous job, there have been less jobs coming in and because of that, more and more people are leaving the guild to find a better one. Slowly every day, the guild became more and more less popular and eventually they ended up as the poorest guild. They became very weak and could no longer find jobs that challenged their skills. It was all so weird. This wasn't like them! Everyone was so depressed. Even Natsu! Lucy was thinking of quitting the guild but immediately discarded that thought. How could she ever think of something like that? Fairy Tail was her first guild and family. She could never so easily quit it.

'I should probably go to sleep', she thought to herself. 'I have a long day ahead of me'.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for continuing to read this story! The fact that you will give it a chance makes me really happy! Srry that these chapters are so depressing but I promise, they will get better! (srry for the mild cursing too .)Again thanks to my editor Dawning Wolf for helping me! Remember to check out her stories! If you have any suggestions for me, pls email me through my inbox! I will post another chapter every Sunday. Thanks again!

-Cheesepuppies12

Chapter 2

The next morning she woke up to warmth next to her. It took her awhile to realize that the warmth wasn't there when she went to bed last night. She got up immediately and realized that the source of heat was none other than Natsu.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY BED? AND WHEN DID YOU BREAK IN?"

"SHUT UP LUCY!" That was his only response before going back to sleep. Lucy looked stunned. She didn't know why Natsu was lashing out against her.

"Um...I'm gonna make b-breakfast…..want a-anything?", she asked tears threatening to spill. He murmured something and turned over. Lucy quickly walked out and into the kitchen. She quickly made some pancakes and left some for Natsu for when he woke up.

She ran out of her apartment and went to her special spot for when she when she wanted to be alone. Her secret spot was under a Sakura Tree by a small river in a place where the entrance was covered by hanging vines. She started crying with her face buried in her knees. She layed down in the soft grass beneath her and slowly drifted into a soft sleep.

(Natsu's POV)

I woke up to Lucy screaming at me. I wanted to laugh at her and respond with something witty but all that came out of my mouth was "SHUT UP LUCY!". I watched as Lucy looked shocked. I wanted to apologize but nothing came out of my mouth. She asked if I wanted anything for breakfast but I only murmured curse words at her. What was wrong with me? She ran out of her apartment and I thought I saw the glint of tears running down her face. I felt so bad that I wanted to run after her but my body wouldn't move. Once she left, I got up and went into the kitchen. She had left me some pancakes that looked delicious. I sat down to eat them but my hands wouldn't move to pick up the syrup. I started screaming in my head. 'WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?'. All of a sudden I heard another voice in my head.

"Hello Natsu."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

"I'm Warui"

"What do you want?"

"I want your magic ability"

"THERE IS NO FRICKIN WAY I WOULD LET YOU HAVE MY MAGIC! MY FATHER IGNEEL GAVE IT TO ME AND I WON'T LET YOU HAVE IT! AND HOW THE HELL ARE YOU IN MY MIND?"

"You see, I took over you body, so I now control you and what you say".

"WELL GET OUT ALREADY!"

"Not until you give me your magic ability".

"Never! Why did you make me lash out at Lucy?"

"I know that you have deep feelings for her."

"...so?"

" That means she is your weakness."

"NO SHE IS NOT!"

"Ahahahahah! The more you refuse to give in, the more I hurt Lucy." Natsu fell silent for a few seconds.

"...why?"

"Why what?"

"WHY DO Y-YOU WANT MY MAGIC SO BAD…..THAT Y-YOU'RE WILLING TO HURT L-LUCY?"

(Lucy's POV)

I woke up to see that the sun was setting. There was a soft breeze which ruffled the tree and the grass making them bend. I slowly got up and looked around myself. I was still where I was before. I must have fallen asleep at some point. Oh crap! I had forgotten to go to the guild this morning…..I wonder if they are searching for me….probably not based on their personalities lately. I head over to the guild and see that everyone was still there. I curse at myself mentally for going back to the guild. They were more wierd than usual. Cana wasn't drunk, Gajeel and Levy were kissing. Everyone was doing the exact opposite of what they usually do. Cana was screaming at Natsu to go look for Lisanna, and the master was absent. Everyone seemed possessed, like something was controlling them. Every once in awhile, they would go back to normal for a few minutes but then would act all weird again. Not wanting to let them know of her presence, she quickly turned to leave but someone grabbed her hand. She slowly turned to see who it was and was face to face with a salmon colored hair idiot.

"Hey N-Natsu!"

"Sup Lucy! Why are you leaving so early?"

"hmmm? oh…..um I was just tired so...iĺl be on my way now." She tried to free herself from his grip but it didn't work.

"Come with me quick!" He pulls her out into the the barren street. "I wanna talk to you in private"

"um….."

"So…..Lucy, sorry for being so wired this morning. You see, I have this problem I want to tell you before Warui wakes up."

"Who is Warui?"

"There is no time for stupid questions Lucy!"

"Ok….then just tell me already!"

"Thats what I'm saying!"

"THEN HURRY UP ALREADY!"

"I AM!"Just then, Warui woke up from his nap.

"So you thought you could tell Lucy and get away with this huh?"

"NO I DIDN'T! SHUT UP!"

"Natsu…..i'm sorry...b-but I have to go" She runs away with an stressed face.

How will things turn out for those two? What will happen next? Stay tuned to find out!


	3. Chapter 3

Hi! I couldn't wait until Sunday to post this so here you go! Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Lucy ran to her apartment. 'What was wrong with Natsu? He was normal for a few minutes then something happened….I wonder what the Warui thing was'. She summons Crux to do a search on Warui. He snores for a while, after which she tells Lucy what he found.

"Warui is a powerful mage that is not known widely. His magic lets him take over another person's body."

"So he is like a Vulcan?"

"Kind of. Warui doesn't make that person turn into him, he puts himself inside the other person and controls them. He uses this magic to blackmail the person into giving up their magic power."

"Why does he need magic power?"

"That's what he feeds on. The magic power that feeds him, let's him grow bigger and stronger so he can take over stronger people. Warui'll eventually get enough magic power to take over Zeref."

"What's wrong with that? .

"Whoever gives him their magic power loses their ability to use magic again, and he will get it and will be able to use it, "

"That's horrible!"

"I must leave now, goodbye!"

Crux leaves suddenly and Lucy goes to bed. She had some investigating to do in the morning.

Sorry this chapter is sooooooo short. I wanted to end the chapter with a bit of a conclusion, so this seemed like the best place. Anyways,

What will happen now? When will a better story plot come up?When will my editors ever start editing other than forcing me to write more? Stay tuned to find out!


	4. Chapter 4

I didn't post a chapter on Sunday because I was busy. Thanks for continuing to read my story!

-Cheesepuppies12

Chapter 4

Lucy's POV:

She woke up and to her surprise, Natsu wasn't there. She got up and took a shower. Once she finished putting her clothes on, she went to the guild. When she arrived, she talked to people to see how they acted. They acted weird as usual. Cana was even in a dress that covered her. She left a few hours later to evaluate the information she had got. But for some reason, she still couldn't find Natsu. She went to her hideout to find a tuft of pink behind a tree. She knew who it was but to be careful, she silently approached the pink thing. She poked it with a stick nearby and it moved a little. She looked around the tree and saw Natsu sleeping on the floor. He was drooling and snoring a little bit as usual, but he was murmuring something in his sleep too. She tried to listen carefully but got no result. She sat down by him and started to organize the information she had gotten. She looked through her notebook over and over again. She just couldn't find any pattern in their behavior. Then it hit her. They had only been mean and everything to her and she was the only one that wasn't affected. So the Warui thing must be after her magic. But why hers? Wasn't she weak? She looked at Natsu and heard him murmur

"Shut up Warui…..get out of me!"

She looked at him for a second then smiled sadly. She knew that he was doing his best to fight off Warui. But what if he loses his magic forever? What would happen to him? She felt really bad that it had to be him in this situation. He looked really cute when he was sleeping. How come she didn't notice until now? She started to feel relaxed as she lay down, she looked up to see the night sky. It was very bright and beautiful. She felt sleep tug at her eyes. She looked at Natsu once more before her eyes fluttered closed.

xxxxx

She woke up and found herself in her bed. Wasn't she at her special place before? Just then she realized that Natsu had probably woken up and carried her home. He could be really sweet at times. She got up and and went outside. It was a bright and sunny day outside and she wanted to spend time in it as much as possible. She got dressed and went outside to see a young child waiting for her. She was younger than Wendy and had black hair. She was slightly tanned and looked like she had been traveling for a long time with limited supplies. The girl fell down and didn't move. Lucy looked shocked to see such a little girl at her door. She immediately ran over to help the girl. She wasn't moving but she was breathing. Lucy carried her in, her arms making a comfortable nest for the girl. Once she was inside, Lucy put her down in her bed. She wondered whether she should call Natsu, but hastily decided to wait until after the girl had woken.

Xxxxx

Xxxxx

After the girl had woken, Lucy tried to find out as much as she could.

" w-Where am I?"

"Oh, you're awake! My name is Lucy and this is my house!"

"What am I doing here?" There was a hint of panic and fear in her tone.

"You blacked out in front of my house and it only felt right to take you in."

"Oh….thank you!"

"No problem" Lucy giggled. "Anyways, what is your name?"

"Hiyori…"

"Hiyori….that's a cute name!"

"Thank you" her voice was tense.

"Anyways would you like something to drink?"

"Nothing, thank you"

"Oh….stop saying thank you all the time!" Lucy laughed. "Where are you from?"

"Um….I'm from Era"

"That's far away! Don't you have someone to look after you?"

"No…" Tears welled up in her eyes. Lucy saw this and apologized immediately

"Who are your parents?"

"I don't Know...:"

"Ok….um…what are you doing all the way out here?"

"I'm looking for a very powerful person."

"All by yourself?"

"Yes"

"What is the person's name?"

"Warui…." Lucy let out a gasp. "I know what that thing is!" She exclaimed.

"R-really?"

"Ya….its that person who posses people…..I think he is currently possessing my friend…" She started to trail off.

"Can I see him?"

"Sure! Follow me." She lead Hiyori to Natsu and let her observe him. But Lucy had made a mistake, they had gone to the guild to see Natsu so everyone started crowding around Hiyori and asking her questions.

"Um…..guys?" Lucy said, trying her best to grab their attention.

"Um….Hello…" Hiyori looked flustered. They kept on questioning Hiyori and completely ignored Lucy.

"Guys?" Lucy said a bit louder, but they just ignored her as usual.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Lucy shouted. They all turned to look at her with a look of death. They looked like they wanted to grab her torture her until she called for mercy. She didn't back away but had a hint of fear on her face. She grabbed Hiyori and quickly brought her to Natsu.

"So this is him…." Hiyori murmured. Natsu had picked up a bench and was getting ready to throw it, when he saw Lucy. He dropped the table and headed over to where she was.

"Oh gosh! Prepare to be punched or screamed at" Lucy whispered.

"LUCY! WHY ARE YOU HERE? CANA IS TRYING TO KILL ME FOR NOT FINDING YOU! WHO IS MIDGET HERE?!" Natsu questioned.

"Um hi Natsu...First of all, I'm in this guild. Second, this is Hiyori. She said she wanted to…...to…...play with you?"

"Really? WELL I'M ALL FIRED UP!" Natsu sneered.

"NOT LIKE THAT! SHE IS NOT GOING TO FIGHT YOU! She just wanted to hang out with you." Lucy practically yelled in his face.

"Oh...well come on! Let's go!" Natsu grabbed her and marched out of the guild hall. Hiyori looked like she was silently motioning for Lucy to help. Lucy walked out of the guild to spy on them. The only "sane" person around was Juvia.

"Juvia! Why aren't you acting weird?" Lucy asked.

"WHAAAAAAAAAT? Why would juvia be acting weird" Juvia glared at Lucy.

"Hehehe….um you see…." Lucy explained what was happening to everyone.

"Oh….well I'm not acting weird because you are Juvia's love rival" Juvia stated.

"Why am I your…..oh….I'm not your love rival!"

"Oh ya? Then why was Gray-Sama in your house last night?"

"We were plotting to….whoops! I said too much!" Lucy couldn't reveal that Gray and her were planning to surprise Juvia with a gift for her birthday.

"WHAAAAAAAA! YOU AND GRAY-SAMA WERE …." She passed out with a loud thump on the floor. She dragged Juvia onto a bench and left her there with an ice-pack. She headed out to go find Natsu and Hiyori so that she could make sure that he didn't hurt her. She found them were catching fish with Happy. All of a sudden, Natsu jumped up and tried to strangle her. Since she was small, she slipped out and ran. Lucy followed her and ended up at her apartment. She opened the door and let Hiyori in.

"That was definitely Warui." Hiyori panted.

"I told you. Why are you hunting for Warui?"

"It is so I can defeat him. But I need resources."

"What kind of resources" Lucy was starting to get curious. If she needed resources, then maybe Lucy could supply her with some. It would help her feel useful seen as nobody cared for her at the guild lately.

"um...It isn't a regular request but I need a celestial wizard. If you know one, then could you send me to them?"

"Know one? You're in luck because I happen to be a celestial wizard myself."

"Really?"

" Now what do you need from me?" Lucy smiled

Sorry that this chapter was shorter than I thought it would be. I tried to make it longer but obviously failed XD


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **I am soooooooo sorry that I haven't posted anything in like a month! I just had major writer's block.  
** **I promise to make the next chapter longer! Even though this took up three whole pages in my rough draft.  
** **Please don't kill me!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **-Cheesepuppies12**

Hiyori looked happily at Lucy then her smile faded.

"Do you have a gold key, a silver key, and a bronze key?"

"I have a gold key and a silver key…" Memories of Aquarius started to fill Lucy's mind but she dismissed them quickly. "But what is a bronze key?"

"You don't know? Well there is only three bronze key in the whole entire world of earthland and it is hidden so nobody knows where it is. It is disguised as an everyday object. My necklace was specially designed to find the city it is in. It will glow once it is near the key." She motioned to the necklace around her neck. It had a single gem that was clear and had a faint glow to it which made it seem more beautiful than it already was.

"So you think the bronze key is hidden near Fairy Tail?"

"Yes...I think so." They stayed silent considering this. All of a sudden, the window opened and there stood Natsu. His Dragon Force made him look even more menacing than he already was. The girls tried to remove the barricade of objects slowing their escape as fast as they could. Natsu was getting closer with every second. Lucy whipped out her keys and summoned some spirits to buy them some time.

"Open! Gate of the Twins! Gemini!" Gemini appeared in the form of Happy and tried to manipulate Natsu by his feelings. Natsu started hesitating and fell down. The girls rushed over to his side.

"We should take to the guild." Lucy told Hiyori.

"Ya….if we do, then we can search for the bronze key!" Hiori exclaimed. The girls dragged Natsu to the guild hall and placed him on a bench. They gathered some supplies they might need just in case, and set out to begin their adventure. They decided to first search in the guild before Natsu woke up so they wouldn't have to deal with him. They started searching by the bar to see if they could find it. As they were sneaking around, they saw Erza screaming a wall to get out of her way. Mira was trying to annoy Erza into fighting her so they didn't have to worry about Mira stopping them. They couldn't find anything in the bar so they moved on to where the benches were. Working their way around the other guild mates and Natsu without them noticing was surprisingly very easy. Everyone was so caught up in their own activities that they failed to notice the two girls slithering their way around. They couldn't find any clues in the guild and went to search in the park nearby. They inspected everything and anything for clues as to where the key was. The sun had started to go down, so they went to Lucy's apartment. Hiyori didn't have a place to stay so Lucy brought out a few extra blankets and pillows. She let Hiyori take the bed and spread out her material. As she started to go to sleep she looked at Hiyori sleeping peacefully next to her was the necklace glowing in all it's glory. Lucy smiled to herself and closed her eyes. She was about to drift away into dream world when her eyes snapped open. The necklace was glowing! That meant that the key was nearby! She got up and ran to Hiyori.

"Hiyori! Wake up!" Hiyori yawned and looked sleepily at her. There was confusion on her face.

"The necklace!" Lucy said frantically, her eyes practically popping out. Hiyori's eyes widened as she slowly turned to the necklace as if she could scare it away if she moved too fast. The clear crystal had taken a white illumination making it look forbidden. They girls picked it up and examined it to make sure they weren't dreaming. Lucy and Hiyori looked at each other and immediately started searching frantically for the key. They opened every chest and looked in every cranny. Not being able to find it, they sat down on the bed to discuss this matter. They thought about all the things they could be missing. Lucy laid down next to the gem, holding it close to her face so she could observe it. All of a sudden, her necklace that her mom gave her, started glowing a bright red. Lucy quickly took off her necklace and placed it next to Hiyori's gem. They both started glowing brighter and made metallic sounds. There was a loud bang and both girls fell unconscious.

Lucy woke up with beams of sunshine dancing on her face. She got up and to her surprise, found herself on the floor. She was far away from her bed and her apartment was messed up really bad. She couldn't remember what had happened last night and why she was on the floor. Her memories of last night slowly drifted into her brain. She remembered that she was beside Hiyori when…..Hiyori! She scrambled to her feet and looked around for her. She was buried under pictures and notebooks that were scattered around the living room. Hiyori was still unconscious so she laid her down on the couch and put an ice pack on her head. She went inside her bedroom to look for the necklaces. She went to the bed which looked perfectly fine. She looked for the necklaces but couldn't find them. She lifted the covers to find a bronze key instead of the necklaces. Lucy picked up the key and examined it. She was bursting with happiness when she what was in the handle of the key. It was the ruby her mother had given her with Hiyori's gem underneath to it. Delicate tears started to roll down her cheeks. She heard someone groaning in the living room and quickly wiped her tears and went to show Hiyori what she had found. Hiyori looked up as she entered the room.

" Guess what I found!" Lucy jumped up in happiness.

"Chocolate?" Hiyori asked.

"I wish!" Lucy giggled.

"You didn't find chocolate? Then why are you this giddy? Wait did someone ask you out? Did Natsu confess?!" Hiyori started giggling and jumping up and down with Lucy.

"Wh-wh-wha-wha-WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" Lucy screamed and started blushing a cherry red.

"Heeheheheheh! I knew you had a thing for him!" Hiyori teased.

"What no! I DON'T have a thing for him!" Lucy said frantically.

"Mmmmmm…..I'll have to tell Gray that he won the bet." Hiyori said thoughtfully.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!" Lucy was sure that she was a darker shade of red than Erza's hair. But she just couldn't believe that the guild was actually betting on her hooking up with Natsu! How could they! She thought they were friends! Oh well, she would just have to get revenge on them. Maybe she could….

"Hehehehe!...Anyways, what was it that you found?" Hiyori said interrupting Lucy's thoughts.

"Oh right! Well I was searching for our necklaces when I found this!" Lucy thrust the bronze key into Hiyori's hands. Hiyori's eyes widened and she started jumping up and down.

"Um I have a question. What do we do once we have the key." Since Lucy played a big part in their plan, she should get to know the details. Afterall, this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"You have to combine a gold key, silver key and the bronze one!"

"...Will I be able to use the key again?" Memories of Aquarius flooded her mind. She did not want to lose another friend.

"Yes, You will be able to use the key again, but only after a while."

"How long?"

"A few years or so." Lucy sighed in relief. A few years wasn't as bad as a forever. But still, she wouldn't be able to summon that spirit for a long time. She decided that she would give up her key for a while if it meant saving Natsu. He looked like he was being eaten inside out.

"If it means helping Natsu, then I will do it. Um first, how do you do it?"

"Well, you first have to put the keys in a triangle formation. Then you have to use a special chalk and draw a perfect circle around the keys. Then you have to connect the keys using the chalk. Then you have to put in a few drops of your blood in the middle to show that you will never betray them. Then…."

"Wait." Lucy interrupted. "Who is them?"

"The Assassin Sisters of course! I can't wait to see them, they are so powerful and…" Hiyori went all fan girl while Lucy stood there stunned. She couldn't believe that the stories her mother had told her were true! That was why her mother told her that particular story and gave her the necklace that day. She could feel that this key was connected to her mother somehow. She would never lose it. This key was now very sacred to her.

"Where do we get the special chalk?" Lucy wanted to get everyone back to normal fast and as soon as possible.

"In a special cave" Hiyori responded.

"What are we waiting for, let's go!" Lucy started to head out the door.

"Do you even know where it is?" Hiyori called after her.

"Nope!" Lucy smiled. She was finally on an adventure where she could save Natsu for once.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

(Normal POV)

Hiyori sighed and headed out the door after Lucy. She knew that Lucy was just excited that she could save her best friend. Hiyori brought out the map that she had been sent with. It had the route to the special cave and warnings on all the dangers and traps on the way to it. They went to the guild to tell Makarov but turned around and headed out. They didn't want to mess with Fairy Tail 2.0 or tell them where they were headed. They would surely come after them and cause more trouble for them.

They started their journey after Hiyori somehow convinced Lucy to take a nice bath and pack for the journey ahead since luxury resources would be rare on their way. As they were leaving they saw that Natsu was walking down the road to them. The girls immediately dived into the alley ways to prevent being detected by the crazy dragon-slayer, but it was too late. Natsu had already gotten a glimpse of something that looked like Lucy and the young girl that dive into the alley way. He decided to ignore it for now thinking that Warui was manipulating his eyes too.

(Natsu's POV)

'Wait...what was that thing…..more like things….I think two of them. They kind look like Luce and that other weird midget girl…...Oh well. Must be Warui trying to manipulate my eyes….HAHAH I WILL NEVER FALL FOR YOUR TRICKS WARUI!'

Natsu kept on walking until he passed the alleyway. The girls let out a small sigh of relief that Natsu didn't seem to notice until the sound of his footsteps suddenly stopped and turned around.

'I heard it….I heard two breaths exhale once I passed...besides I smell two people standing there. One has a sweet vanilla scent that has a little bit of strawberry in it. That must be Luce….I know that weirdo's scent anywhere. The other scent is one that I don't recognise. That must be the girl Lucy was with. She smells kinda off….like something is wrong with her….meh...I must be imagining things. Anyways my suspicion of those two hiding in there was correct! At least I know my Natsu senses are still sane….I wonder why they hid in there when I came close….'

Natsu took a step forward into the alleyways and heard a little shuffling.

"Luce…..Midget...u in there?"

"..."

Nobody replied but Natsu did hear a little squeak when he said 'Midget'. He took a few steps forward and put his hands up.

"I'm still sane don't worry…." He said with a little sorrow. He heard mumbling as the two girls argued if they should reveal themselves or not.

A familiar voice called out to him. One that he was longing to hear, "How are we sure that this isn't Warui controlling you now?" Those words struck his heart like a knife. He couldn't believe that Lucy, LUCY of all people would say something like that to him. They were treating him like a monster. He wasn't one. He REFUSED to believe that he had turned into a monster like Warui! But he thought they were friends…..yet she said something that hurtful to him. She actually doubted his sanity.

He stood there stunned at what she said when they started to come out. He noticed that Lucy was unable to look him in the eye and was holding onto Hiyori in a protective way. He stumbled backwards and began to run to his home. This feeling he had disturbed him. He had only felt like this when he lost someone close to him and right now he felt like he had lost his precious Lucy. He felt rain trickling on him and looked up to see a clear blue sky. He touched his wet face again only to realize that he was crying. He was being rejected by everyone lately. First the guild and now lucy….why did this happen to him!

"NATSU!", a voice called after him. He turned around only to see Lucy running after him. The young girl stayed behind just in case he tried to strangle her again. He stopped running and waited for her to catch up to him. He couldn't bear to have her see him like this so he kept his face hidden by looking at the tried to stop the flow of tears but he couldn't. It hurt. His heart ached from all the pain that Warui was causing. He felt like he was living a nightmare.

(Lucy's POV)

I was out of breath when I caught up to Natsu. He can run really fast if he wants to and it takes me a while to catch up to him. It was harder than usual since she was carrying all her journey luggage. When she finally caught her breath she looked up at Natsu only to see that he refused to look at her.

"Natsu, what's wrong? Why did you run?", Lucy asked concerned. he didn't speak or look at her. When Lucy gave up on trying to ft him to talk, she held his chin and forced him to look at her.

"Look at me Natsu"

"Why should I?" He sounded hurt. Lucy started taking pity on her best friend. He had been through a lot and he was starting to lose hope. She looked at her best friend again and was stunned when she saw him crying.

(Natsu's POV)

"Natsu…..", she said softly. He quickly looked away. It was not his fault if she didn't trust him. Suddenly a soft hand touched his face and wiped his tears. He looked up and was met with Lucy's soft chocolate eyes. He found it hard to pull away from her gaze. Her eyes had a little concern and fear in them. He wondered if the concern and fear was for him or….

"I'm sorry Natsu…" a soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Don't worry...It's not your fault" Natsu replied trying to sound like normal. He flashed her a fake smile and looked past her and saw the bags that she was carrying.

"Why do you have your journey bag? Wait. Are you going on a job request?" Natsu asked curiously.

'I don't think they are going on a job request….I didn't see them enter the guild hall' Natsu thought to himself.

"Um...Y-yeah...We are going on a job request…." Lucy said trying to sound confident. He always knew when his best friend was lying.

"Lucy, stop lying to me" He said strictly.

"But I'm not!" She said with more confidence.

"Yes you are"

"No I'm not!"

"Tell me the truth" He said a little more kindly.

(Lucy's POV)

"No!" She looked at Natsu with a pouty face and saw him smirk. Why hadn't she noticed how determined and cute he looked he smirked? She could feel her heart melting in his gaze. Then all of a sudden, he pulled her close to his body. She hadn't been this close to him ever. She could feel her face starting to heat up as she stared into his perfect onyx eyes.

"Now will you tell me?" Natsu asked softly.

"F-fine…." Lucy looked down in embarrassment. Her head was touching his perfectly toned abs. She started to blush a deep red.

"So….where are you going Luce?"

"O-on a mission…"

"With who?"

"With Hiyori…."

"What is the mission's goal?" She looked up at him with determination.

"To save you and the guild." He stood there stunned. His strong arms let go of her a little bit. She used this chance to escape.

"Well...I better get going" She called Hiyori and the two girls headed out on their way.

"Wait! Luce!" Natsu called after them. "Let me come with you!"

"But what if Warui tries to kill you by leading you into deadly traps?" She heard Hiyori's pace slow down for a bit.

"Its ok Luce! I can survive." He flashed them a toothy grin and ran to catch up to them.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They started walking out of Magnolia following the map that Hiyori had provided. They stayed silent until they reached the forest to camp. Lucy was the first to ask,

"Hey, why aren't we traveling with transportation?" Natsu looked at her with disbelief.

"Because, it's evil!" Natsu whispered loudly.

"And it's because we don't have much money so we need to save as much as we can." Hiyori added with a giggle. Lucy smiled and they continued their journey in (not very peaceful thanks to Natsu) peace.

"Hey Luce."

"Ya?"

"Where are we going?"

"What do you mean? I already told you. To save you and Fairy Tail." Lucy blushed a little when Natsu lazily slung his arm around her. She didn't dare to look at Natsu in case she blushed again.

"Ya but what's the place called?"

"It's just an unknown cave."

"But what do you do in there? Are we looking for something or do we need to stop a monster or…" Lucy cut him off before he could finish.

"We have to do a ritual that involves chalk and the keys." Lucy said. She left out the part about blood because she knew Natsu would be worried.

"You ask too many questions." Hiyori chimed in. They were still in the forest when night started to fall. Lucy and Hiyori started to unpack and set up the tents while Natsu gathered firewood and started a fire.

"Hey Natsu, can you hunt down some food?" Hiyori asked.

"Awww! Why do I have to do everything?" Natsu said with a pouty face.

"Actually I don't think we should let Natsu hunt down the food. Knowing him, he will burn down the whole forest including us." Lucy quickly said as she started to leave. "I'll do it."

Natsu grinned at her. "Thanks Luce!" She responded by rolling her eyes. She looked back at them to see that they were socializing well. As she wandered, she wondered why the Warui guy hadn't shown up. Was this all a trap? No it can't be. Hiyori was with her. Even if Natsu tried to lead them to their death, there was Hiyori on her side with a map, so she didn't have to worry about Natsu. She spotted a wild boar and called out Saggitarius to hunt it. While Sagittarius was busy, she picked some berries and herbs in case of emergencies. When she got back, she saw that Natsu was ghost white, while Hiyori was smiling cutely.

"Hey! I'm back! What happened Natsu?" He didn't respond. He only stared at her. Feeling chills crawl up her back as he stared, she turned to Hiyori. "What happened to him?"

"Nothing! He was like this ever since you left. I guess he was just worried about you. Anyways, what did you bring back?"

"Oh! I brought back some…."

(Natsu's POV)

They were still in the forest when night started to fall. Lucy and Hiyori started to unpack and set up the tents while Natsu went to gather firewood and started a fire. He couldn't help but wonder when Warui would strike next, seen as he was lying dormant. When he got back, they started a fire so Natsu's magic doesn't

"Hey Natsu, can you hunt down some food?" Hiyori asked.

"Awww! Why do I have to do everything?" Natsu said with a pouty face.

"Actually I don't think we should let Natsu hunt down the food. Knowing him, he will burn down the whole forest including us." Lucy quickly said as she started to leave. "I'll do it."

Natsu grinned at her. "Thanks Luce!" She responded by rolling her eyes. When she left, Natsu took the time to get to know Hiyori better. "So, I'm sorry for strangling you earlier when we first met."

"Oh! It's ok. It's not like you had a choice."

"So anyways, where are we headed? Can I see the map?"

Hiyori hesitated a bit before responding. "Umm, ya sure." She handed over the map and Natsu examined it carefully. He noticed that he had been through this certain landscape before. He knew there should protective shelters along the path and that they should be labeled on the map. But instead he saw 'x's on top of them.

"Why are the protective shelters crossed out?"

"Those are dangerous traps." She replied as her bangs covered her eyes.

"What?! No they aren't! If we avoid them, then we could get killed!"

"Why should I care if you or Lucy got killed? It just speeds up the process of detaining your powers. It would make Warui's and my job easier." Natsu sat there shocked, pale as a ghost. So Hiyori was teamed up with Warui. He knew she was a little off from the start but didn't think she was this evil. He saw her smile evilly at him as she continued. "Now you have to keep quite you see."

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I DO THAT?!"

"Because if you don't, bad things are gonna happen to Lucy." This made him even paler. He was right to attack her earlier out of instinct. She kept talking in a creepy singsong voice. "Now you wouldn't want her to die would you? So I suggest keeping your mouth shut." She put on a cute grin as they saw Lucy coming back with a big boar.

"Hey! Why is Natsu so pale?" Lucy asked.

"Oh! He was just really worried about you." Hiyori lied to her. Natsu couldn't believe this. Soon night fell as they ate in silence. Even Natsu was quiet. As they crawled into their tents, Natsu put his bag down to roll out his sleeping bag when he noticed a cute blue head stuck between the roll. He took it out and figured out it had a body too.

"AHHH! HAPPY WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"SHHHHH! I'm undercover. I heard everything the Hiyori girl had to say. So I'm going to tell Lucy."

"Ok. But don't get seen."

"Aye! Dont worry! I'm a Ninja" He made hand symbols with his hands and with that he flew off to Lucy's tent. Natsu sat there worrying about what would happen now that Lucy knew. Would she reveal them? No. She was loyal and would never give them away. The next morning, They all woke up and met at the fire pit. Natsu glanced at Lucy to see if her expression had changed since she knew. But she kept her expression the same as always, happy and carefree. He couldn't help but show a little concern on his face which Lucy noticed, immediately easing the tension.

"Hey! Guys!" They looked up to see Happy flying towards them with fish in his mouth. "I was looking all over for you guys!"

"Hey Happy!" Natsu replied casually.

"Whoa! A blue flying cat that can talk?!" Hiyori looked amazed. For an evil girl she could be pretty cute sometimes.

"Aye! My name is Happy!" Happy replied happily. She giggled a bit before responding.

"Hello! I'm Hiyori. It's nice to meet you!"

"Aye!" Soon they were ready to head out again. They decided to keep moving until they got tired or the sun set. Either way they had a lot to go, but now they had to be even more cautious. They couldn't risk anything. Especially with Hiyori around.

 ** _Sorry that this chapter is so short. I just have writers block XD_**

 ** _-Cheesepuppies12_**


	8. Sorry, Not A Story Update!

_***NOT A STORY UPDATE***_

Hey there everyone! It's me! I'm finally back!

...

...

...

 _ **PLEASEDON'TMURDERMEFORMYUNEXPECTEDLONGHAITUS!**_

SO...I accidentally ended up going on a 3-4 year haitus...

I'm so sorry for just leaving everyone all of a sudden. I started my stories three years ago but I got so stressed out with school and life that I forgot that I even had these stories.

However, I did get emails on people leaving comments and following my story and it made me so happy! Due to this, I decided to become better at writing and improve my skills! I did, unfortunately stop writing for a long period of time, due to, again, stress, so i'm pretty sure my skills have gotten even worse. I'll try my best to give you guys better stories in the future, so please forgive me if I take too long to write or if I cannot update due to work!

I know some of you are wondering what happened to me while I was gone (cuz 3 years is a lot of time)...

So for those of you who are curious, I'll explain...

Oh, I also forgot to mention I changed my username!

I went from Cheesepuppies12 to Poooni.

I felt Cheesepuppies12 was a bit childish and hard to explain to people so I just changed it to a nickname my friends call me!

SO NOW TIME FOR THE EXPLINARIPMDNEKDMFXJbarjk

 *** has stopped working***

OKAY IM BACK! I JUST NEEDED SOME BUBBLE TEA

 _Anywaaays~_

I'm going to explain to all of you curious scrubs, why I was gone so long. I'm going to split this into years.

 **YEAR 1**

So I'm a shrimpy kid (Just kidding! I've been considered tall my entire life...) and I decide to post a few of my crusty stories online! I write a few chapters but soon get lazy! Then work from school comes along (Yeah I'm still in school sigh) and I stop writing and cue my haitus. I end up forgetting about my stories...

 **YEAR 2**

So, it's a new year and since I'm in a special program (Sigh it's a program for the highly gifted and talented. I was trying to phrase it so I wouldn't sound like a snob, but I can't do that without sounding like I'm mentally ill or need special help sigh) this is my hardest year. This is the most stressful year I've had so far and a lot of drama happened, causing many people to fall into depression. I can't really say I've fallen into depression since I try being happy for the sake of my friends and I haven't been diagnosed by a doctor, but I can't say I was truly happy either. What I can say, though, is that this was my lowest point. I don't think I've ever felt as low as I did then. My self esteem was low and I absolutely hated myself. I also ended up being very easy to irritate, but that might be due to other reasons hehe. By the end of this year, I decided to change myself and I tried convincing myself that I was beautiful and whatnot. This caused my self esteem to rise and I became more confident than ever. I also forgot to mention that this was the year I became SUPER close with my friends. We were all going through similar things so we were able to lean on each other for support.

 **YEAR 3**

This is really close to the present. At the start of this year, my confidence wasn't as high as it is now, but it was still pretty high. This was a year that wasn't too stressful or scary. I'm now really loud and egoistic (I guess you could say). I was looking through my emails today when I saw that someone had followed my story! I was so happy and decided to write this to alert you guys that I was alive and I will be posting more chapters within the next few months!

SO that is pretty much what happened. I didn't really go into much detail of everything so I'm not sure if I explained it properly. It's okay though since most of you probably didn't want an explanation in the first place haha!

Anyways, I want to once again, apologize for leaving so long. I will try to improve my skills so I can improve my current stories! Thank you to everyone who read my stories, followed and Favorited them, and commented on them. You guys mean so much to me! You guy are what inspire me to write more! Please continue to support me and my crappy stories into the future!

BYEEEEEEE~!

Poooni (Cheesepuppies12)


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